BusinessTN

It may seem like a mythical car of the future--technology that's at least 10 years away--yet, as Mark Perry, director of product planning for Franklin, Tenn.-based Nissan North America, says, the electric car "is coming and coming very fast."

Though Nissan is on track to launch its first electric vehicle in 2010, there are infrastructure-related issues that need to be resolved before the car can become a common household commodity. Since July, Nissan, the state, TVA and others have partnered to determine how to support the introduction of these zero-emission, battery-powered vehicles that can travel about 100 miles when fully charged.

"We describe it as a jigsaw puzzle, and there are many pieces that need to come together to have the final picture look like something everybody can recognize," Perry says. "The issues are not difficult. They just need coordination."

Issues include the need to simplify the zoning, permitting and electrical inspection process so that consumers and employers can install electric chargers at their homes and places of business in a timely fashion. And then there's ensuring a sufficient number of charging stations to give consumers peace of mind. The partnership's initial focus for this is the I-24 and I-65 corridors and, more narrowly, the Nashville-Murfreesboro/Smyrna-Franklin triangle.

"As people commute back and forth, where should public infrastructure be placed so people can charge?" Perry asks.

Public charging stations may include the airport, parking garages or other gathering places, such as the CoolSprings Galleria or Gaylord Opryland. As a result, local players such as Gaylord Entertainment and Central Parking are also involved in the effort.

But there's also the issue of whether the power grid can handle an influx of electric cars. Joe Hoagland, vice president of energy efficiency and demand response at TVA, says that while it's true that there is "extra energy" during off-peak hours, the real question is whether there are enough wires and transformers in neighborhoods and public areas to accommodate multiple vehicles.

"If you have a few of these cars, that's not a big deal, but if you reach a point where there are many of them in a given area, neighborhoods are not designed to deal with that much load at one time," Hoagland says. "So you have to either look at ways to redesign the distribution system, which is often costly, or figure out ways to make those distribution systems 'smart.'"

For example, Hoagland explains, instead of simultaneously charging all the cars that are plugged in, the system might give each car a time slot so that it stays within its distribution capacity. From an infrastructure standpoint, Hoagland says such smart grid issues are the most challenging.

And finally, there's the billing issue--making sure that the car owner, rather than the parking garage owner, for example, pays for charging his battery. Does one swipe a credit card at the charging station? Or, would the system recognize the vehicle and bill the owner?

Answering all these questions may seem daunting. But because most car manufacturers don't expect to see significant market penetration into residential areas until about 2015, there's time to resolve the more complicated issues before the car of the future arrives in the here and now.